In his first, and perhaps only, trip to free agency, Bo Bichette is reportedly trying to make the most of his time on the open market.
Bichette is “thought” to be seeking a free-agent contract around $300 million, according to a report from the New York Post‘s Jon Heyman on Thursday.
Heyman pointed to Bichette’s age — the longtime Toronto Blue Jays shortstop will be just 28 on Opening Day — as a factor for his large ask, comparing his potential deal to those of Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who signed long-term contracts in their mid-20s.
A $300-million deal would immediately vault Bichette into a group of MLB’s top-paid shortstops. Only Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager, Trea Turner and Fernando Tatis Jr., who inked his extension while playing short, have surpassed that benchmark on their current contracts.
Bichette hit .311 last season, placing second in the majors with 44 doubles and tying for second with 181 hits despite missing the final 20 games of the regular season with a PCL sprain in his left knee.
He missed much of the final month as well as the ALDS and ALCS with the injury, but returned for the Fall Classic, hitting .348 with one home run and six RBIs.
Through seven MLB seasons, Bichette is slashing .294/.337/.469 with 111 home runs and 437 RBIs.
In addition to reporting on the potential value of Bichette’s contract, Heyman said that the New York Yankees are “now looking more seriously” at trying to bring the superstar infielder to the Bronx.
It had previously been reported by Heyman that the Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs had all “checked in” on Bichette, with his free agency lingering into early January.
But as Heyman wrote Thursday, New York is facing a gap in talks with its No. 1 off-season priority, Cody Bellinger, leading general manager Brian Cashman and Co. to “consider different major lineup enhancements, notably Bichette.”
Another potential serious suitor for Bichette’s services emerged Thursday in the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Athletic‘s Matt Gelb and Ken Rosenthal reported that Bichette is “expected to meet with Phillies officials on a video conference call in the coming days,” adding that Philadelphia’s interest is legitimate.
If the Phillies were to land Bichette, they would likely be forced to move on from catcher J.T. Realmuto and third baseman Alec Bohm, per Gelb and Rosenthal. The resulting infield structure would potentially slide Bryson Stott to third base to make room for Bichette to play second, with Turner handling the duties at short.
